Conveyer



Dec. '18, 1945. D, ROSE 2,391,272

CONVEYER Filed Sept. 14, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 18, 1945. D, ROSE 2,391,272

CQNVEYER Filed Sept. 14, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 18, 1945 iifiim.

Applieatiomiseptember 14, 194 2, Serfal Nm 458,185

invention relates tcconveyersand more particularly to improved conveyers of the emits/ma Whiie gravity cenveyers:ofthe-' present general: character are known and have been developed to= a comparatively eflicient state; nevertheless; thereis ample reom for improvement in a number-- assessmen s; Roller -conveyers'generalh have was; ecting through and beyond the frame-- workand thishasbeen found to-be ebjeetibnable. 1 Prior 'cbfweyersat this type have al'sabeen' un duly expensive and inconvenient todisassemblefee iepaim naintenance-and the like; nor'de -they provide absol-ute meansfor confining theroller assemblies to prevent undesired endwi-semove-- ment a-ndin general such conveyers are known to far from-ideal. It" is with theimprovement. of 'ollen cen'veyers an-d especially:lg ravity-actuatedjrollery ce-nveyers that my present invention is-con cemed.

It is accerdi-ngly one-of the objects of the present invention-to providefor-the-first timearoller cpnv'eyee of the gravity-typewh-ieh is exceedingly' simpleand inexpensive in itsconstruction and wl ii'cmpermits ot unusua-l access to-thevarious:

parts both for servicing and replacement:

- Answer object of m-y=invention resideein 'pro duoing agravity-actuated rollerconveyer in which --roller* is almost instantaneously dismountabiei yetit i's rigiclly held in place and-restricted from-any-movement except rotation aboutits axis.

' Afiurther object-of myinventionresides in produci ng a eonveyer ina wl'iicir the outsidefacesx of: the-structure are smooth or without-projections such asshaft ends cctter pins; etc:, which may- I interfere-with auxiliary equipmeni-nuseci for load ing material on, or'unloading-material-from the conveyem Othen ands furtherobj ects: andz advantages will be understood loytho-se skilled in this: art on will be apparent or pointed outhereina'fter;

Iii-the aceompanying drawingsinmhich-Jchave illustratedi preferred embodiments: of? thepresent.

invention: 1

understandine'oi-thesame Fig: 4': is a' view'simi-lartoFigf; 3"but of'amcdifled form of" the-invention. V v

' lie; 5 isavievt similar to-Fi'g; 3o-f' Further modification'. I r

6 is a fragmentarysectional' elevation of a modifiedi form of frame capable of being used in the present invention and forming part' thereof:

Fig. 7='is*a fragmentary elevationalview" of frame memberof'Fig: 6. I

Fig. 8* is a-view"generall'y' similar to Fig; 2 but illustrating-a further'application QftheinVentiom Fig, 9i; a fragmentary vertical sectional" view of a structure embodying the present invention but adapted for; use-in connection rotating gears:

Fig.1 10 is an' incomplete elevational viewshow ingthe' bracket, outer race; and key arrangement employed m the structure ofFig: 9 and Fig. 11 is aview similar'to Fig; I0 but" showingthe keyingof abracket on a rotating; gear.-

fiike numerals' designate correspondingpartsthroughout the-various viewsof the-drawings Referring to the drawings and first to F'igs: I; 2* and} 3 thereof; it will be apparent thatt-he' frame of my new conveyeris made up of two opposed". members to; each ofwhi'ch may be made of anysuitablesmateriar and in any desireddimensionsto take"- care of tl'ieparticular-conditions of any givenin'stallationz Members HF are preferably of relatively" great length sothat" the framework is as continuous as possible and are constructed so:- as to form' a positivebarrier which will-preventany part ofthe roll'er assemblies containedv there in frcmmoVing'endiWi'Seout of the confines- 0f theframe; It will be understoodthat like mem bers are suitably secured-together by welding-or in any=- other desired mannerto produce alt-tamework of the required width. Y

It will I further be noted thatthe exteriorof the members 0 i'ssmootrr anduninterrupted and has no projecting shaft' ends; cotter pi-nsorany-other structural elements which would renderthe framework disadvantageous from that: poiht wof'f View." present'conveyer is, therefore; whatI" may term a streamlined conveyen At'fintervals the members:- l0 areheld in; the desired spaced? relationship: by: means: of cross bars I I:-. Theex. act spacing and sizethereof wi11 be govemed by d;engineering desi-gn; Cross-bars M also give 3 the desiredrigidityi to the framemember-s l0 and insure proper alignment at all timesso as to -pre"-- vent-interferencewith the proper'operation-of therollers: Along-the innerside wall ofeachframe member" l'fl -is a series of" brackets designated bythe numerar I21. I'm the for-m of theinventi'om rial.

illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, these brackets are U-shaped but with a flat bottom and each of the arms of each of the brackets I2 is provided with a recess or groove I3 for a purpose to be described hereinafter. Each bracket I2 is securely welded or otherwise united to the wall of frame member ID as shown at I4. The number and spacing of brackets is selected with a view toward obtaining the desirable number of roller assemblies since each bracket receives one roller assembly.

Each roller assembly includes a hollow tube I5 of desired material and wall thickness depending upon the service to be rendered in any given installation. These tubes may likewise be made of any desired length and wall thickness so as to accommodate loads of different sizes, shapes, and

weights. These are details which are well understood by engineers versed in'this field. Each end of each tube I5 is bored out for the reception of an outer ball race I6 which fits snugly within the bored out portion of the tube and whichin effect forms an integral part of the tube turning with it during operation. These outer ball races I 6 are per se well known and require no detailed explanation. Each roller assembly also includes a shaft which extends from one bracket to anthese two figures, the brackets are in effect pressed up out of the frame material by means of suitable dies and presses. In realizing this form of invention I stamp up a U-shaped bracket portion I2d which has an inverted U-shaped cross section and suitably spaced therefrom are the pressed up projections I2d between which and brackets I2d are thus formed the spaces for the insertion of a locking wedge (not shown in this modification). It will be understood that the ends of shafts I'I rest in these brackets Im in the same manner as is illustrated in Fig. 4. I may thus, under some circumstances, avoid the 'use of separate brackets and the extra operations of welding them in place.

In Fig. 8 I have illustrated a form of the invention based upon the same principles of conand its race members 2Ii are stationary. A shaft therefore, likewise stationary. A series of ballbearings 20 is disposed in the usual manner between each pair of inner and outer races. This, per se, is likewise well known and requires -no further description. It will also be understood that the ball bearings will be suitably lubricated and that the ball chambers 2I are sealed in the conventional manner to prevent loss of lubrication' or the entrance of foreign matter, Lubrication may take place through the shaft or the bearings may be permanently acked and sealed at the time of assembly, as desired. A tapered rectangular wedge 22 passes through the grooves I3 of brackets I2 and locks the roller assembly in place. These wedges are tapered soas to exert a. wedging action. As will be clear from Fig. 3,

wedges 22 immobilize nuts I8 and thus hold the shaft I! and the inner ball races in a stationary condition whereas the tubes I5 and the outer ball races I6 are free to rotate.

In Fig. 4 I have illustrated a slightly modified construction in which the bracket I2a is still U-shaped but has a rounded bottom so that the ends of shaft IIa cooperate directly therewith.

Inthis construction, locking wedge 22a cooperates with a fiat portion IIa provided on the shaft ends for immobilizing the assembly. In Fig; 5

the arrangement is still further 'modified inthat a polygonal nut IS'b is employed and the bracket I2b is complementarily configured :but otherwise the construction is the same as will clearly understood upon inspection.

In Figs. 6' and 7 I have illustrated a modified form of the invention in which the frame. members Ind are stamped out of suitable sheet mate- In some instances and where the loads are not excessive, I find that this form of invention can be utilized at very low cost and with entire satisfaction, As will be'appreciated from 21 extends through member 25 and is provided with spaced races 28 which rotate with the shaft 21. In conventional manner ball bearings 29 are provided between the sets of races. Eachend of shaft 27 is provided with a bracket 30 of any of the constructions heretofore described and these brackets are locked to the shaft 21 by means of the keys 3|. Brackets 30 are, however, secured in any desired manner, as by welding, to the end plate 32 of the adjacent roller assemblies which differ from the roller assemblies above described in that only one end (the outer) need be rotatably mounted. As shown, each end plate 32 is welded in place in the end of tube 33 and the distal end of each such tube is counterbored, as before, for the reception of race 34 which turns therewith. Each frame member IIIe is provided with a bracket I2e of any of the kinds heretofore described and these are lockedby meansv of wedges 22c to the extension of inner race I9e. In other words, the ball bearings are mounted between races 34 and I9e and the races I96 are extended to form what may be termed stub shafts. Thus I have produced a modified form of the invention in which unusually wide or large objects may be handled or in which two sets of objects may be handled but the arrangement will have other and analogous'uses in connection with rotating machine elements as will, be appreciated by those familiar with this field.

In Fig. 9 I have shown a still further modified form of invention which is much like either end of Fig. 8 and wherein a'gear such as that illustrated at 35 is mounted for rotary movement but it is to be understood that other forms of devices may be similarly mounted, such as milling cut-' bers specified. Thus gear 35, bracket- 38, shaft 39, and keys 4!] can all rotate with respect to bracket I2,f and race 36. Suitable means may of course be provided. for driving gear 35. It is to be understood that thebrackets and keys may be of the shape and structure shown in Figs. 10 and 11 or may be of other suitable or required shape.

The foregoing is intended as illustrative and not as limitative and it is to be understood that other additions, omissions, substitutions and variations may be made without departing from the invention which is rather defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention; what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patcut is:

1. In a. gravity conveyer, opposed side members extending in parallel relationship, having outer faces that are free of projections, and inner faces provided therealong with rigidly positioned generally U-shaped support members having wedgereceiving openings extending through the upstanding legs thereof; each such support member co-operating with a support member of the other side member to form a support for a roller assembly, the roller assembly having outwardly extending shaft ends located within each co-operating pair of such U-shaped support members, and tapered means extending through and wedged in position within said wedge receiving openings whereby said shaft ends and roller assemblies are rigidly but removably secured in place; the

conveyer being free of anything. that extends outwardly beyond the outer surfaces of said side member.

2. A structure according to claim 1 in which the shaft ends snugly fit the bottoms of the U- shaped support members and are flattened to cooperate with said tapered means to rigidly hold the shaft ends in place.

3. A structure according to claim 1 in which the side members are L-shaped in transverse section and the bases of such members extend beneath the roller assemblies.

4. A structure according to claim 1 in which the generally U-shaped support members are welded to the side members.

5. A structure according to claim 1 in which the side members are L-shaped in transverse section with the bases thereof extending beneath the roller assemblies and in which the side members 

